Saturday, October 17, 2009

DAY 25: The truth always works

Dear Mike,

Planned Parenthood slipped up.

I'm often told that abortion facilities use
ultrasound to let the abortionist know how far along
the pregnancy is -- it apparently makes a difference
in how the abortion will be performed.

But the images are for staff only -- not the mother
of the child whose life is at risk. So please keep
that in mind.

As a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil was under way, a
young woman walked towards the Planned Parenthood
facility in Sarasota, Florida with two friends. She
accepted some information about abortion from a
sidewalk counselor -- but she may have just taken it
so the counselor would leave her alone.

As she entered the abortion center, she handed the
packet to a Planned Parenthood staffer -- who quickly
tossed it in the trash.

About 45 minutes later, however, the woman and her
friends came back out. "They made the mistake of
letting her see the ultrasound picture," said one of
the friends, "and she couldn't go through with it."

The group then asked if they could have another
information package. "She wasn't planning on keeping
the child," the friend explained, "so now she needs
someone to help her." That's exactly what happened
next. The counselor told them of several nearby
pregnancy resource centers that could offer
assistance for this mother and her baby.

"As they left," said Jeanne in Sarasota, "they seemed
pleased. No direct action by any one of our sidewalk
counselors helped save this baby. But the potential
effect of the prayers of several people on the
sidewalk can't be dismissed."

The truth -- and in this case it was an ultrasound
picture that was worth much more than a thousand
words -- cannot be denied.

40 Days for Life vigil participants in Winston-Salem,
North Carolina didn't have to say much to the woman
who arrived for an abortion appointment. She was
still in the early stages of pregnancy, but a
counselor told her that even at 21 days, her baby
already had a heartbeat.

"I had no idea," she said. "I never thought of it
that way." She immediately changed her mind.

Two girls drove up to the abortion center in the
Tri-Cities, Washington area where 40 Days for Life
participants were praying -- two were standing, a
third was on his knees.

"They both stared at us," said Debbie, who quickly
figured out that the girl driving was bringing her
friend in for an abortion. "They sat for a while in
their car after they parked and then got out I turned
and showed them my sign. They both looked at it and
walked into the clinic."

Debbie's sign shared the truth: "Abortion hurts
women."

"It wasn't two minutes later they came out and got
into their car and drove off," she said. "They smiled
and waved to us as they drove off. You could tell
they were a lot happier."

Terri in Bakersfield, California received an
incredible blessing during this 40 Days for Life
campaign -- she got to witness the birth of a baby
whose mother rejected abortion during the spring 40
Days for Life effort.

A healthy baby girl was born, and the mother -- in
tears -- thanked Terri for being there in her hour of
need ... with the truth.

To see a picture of this beautiful newborn child, who
was saved by God working through a faithful volunteer
during a 40 Days for Life campaign, go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=400

God bless you, Mike, for standing strong in
prayer and fasting, anticipating more miracles just
like this one!

Here's today's devotional from Rev. J. Kirk van der
Swaagh, Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian
Conference...

-----------------------------------------------------
DAY 25 INTENTION
-----------------------------------------------------

We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to
acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.

-----------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
-----------------------------------------------------

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were
born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to
the nations."

-- Jeremiah 1:4-5

-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
-----------------------------------------------------

To be or not to be? There is no question!

The question of "being" is something philosophers
have long pondered.

What is the meaning of being and what is the source?
In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have
being because we are known by God.

For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the
prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived
indicates that our being rests in God's own being.
Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are
and do.

The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before
the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move
and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that
life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly
devalued. To embrace the arguments of the
"pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child
in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being.

But nothing could be further from the truth. That
child is known by God and, as such, has being.

-----------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
-----------------------------------------------------

Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and
have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find
grace from You to affirm the being of every human and
may we labor to make this truth known to the world
around us. Amen.

-----------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
-----------------------------------------------------

To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:

http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2009day25print.pdf

-----------------------------------------------------

On a final note, many of you have been asking what's
happening with Mayor Daley and Chicago's new "bubble
zone" law meant to restrict 40 Days for Life vigils
and pro-life sidewalk counseling.

Despite the thousands of calls and faxes to Mayor
Daley's office asking him to NOT succumb to abortion
industry pressure, the Chicago media reports that
Mayor Daley has said he will sign the censorship law.

Local pro-lifers are working with heroic attorney Tom
Brejcha, of the Thomas More Legal Society, and are
prepared to take immediate legal action when this
unconstitutional law is enacted.

This is a disappointing setback, but righteousness
and justice will ultimately prevail.

Hope you have a blessed weekend, Mike!

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

P.S.- Clarification: The Indianapolis abortion
facility reported yesterday as closed for two weeks
is not a Planned Parenthood location, but another
business -- Affiliated Women's Services. We regret
any confusion caused by our mistake!

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